In practice, it is known that, for example in the production of sausage-shaped products, like sausages, filling material is fed by a filling machine through a filling tube of a clipping machine into a tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing which is stored on the filling tube and which is closed at its front end by a closure clip as a closure means, i.e. the end of the packaging casing pointing in the feeding direction of the filling material. The tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing is pulled-off from the filling tube while being filled by the feeding pressure. A casing brake assembly is positioned in the region of the front end of the filling tube, i.e. the end of the filling tube facing in feeding direction, in order to apply a frictional force to the tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing while being pulled-off from the filling tube.
After a predetermined volume of filling material has been filled into said tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing, a displacer arrangement or gathering means, respectively, with a first and a second displacer unit which can each be formed by a pair of reversibly moveable displacement elements, gathers the filled tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing and shapes a plait-like portion thereto. The clipping device of the clipping machine then places and closes at least one closure clip at the plait-like portion forming the rear end of the sausage-shaped product, i.e. the end pointing against the feeding direction by respective closing tools which are reversibly movable towards the plait-like portion.
In known clipping machines, programs are stored for each product to be produced. These programs include data regarding the product, i.e. its size and/or the volume of filling material to be filled in for one product and/or the kind and/or size of the packaging casing and/or the type of closure means to be used, and/or operation parameters, like the pressure of the casing brake and/or the frequency of clipping cycles and/or the clip closing pressure. Sensor arrangements are provided for sensing the actual values of these operation parameters, and said values are compared with the stored information. In case that one or more of said actual parameter values exceed the stored values, the production rate may be reduced or the clipping machine may be stopped.
From EP patent application 1 731 432, a clipping machine is known in which the closing pressure is measured by a respective sensor device. The result of this measurement is compared with a number of threshold values, and, dependent on the exceeded threshold, the actual closing cycle is terminated or the clipping machine is stopped immediately.
In such known clipping machines, an operator has to select or set various parameters for the product to be produced and the operation parameters for the production process. However, the operator does not know the actual wearing situation of the clipping machine so that the set parameters are not in line with the deterioration of the machine.
It is an object of the present invention to optimize the process of producing sausage-shaped products, to reduce the risk of defective goods and damages to the clipping machine.